While many analysts say the world has changed forever due to the impact of the coronavirus, college students surveyed said they are unsure about their own future.
Of the 1,000 students surveyed recently, only 38% were confident their college campuses will be open for the fall semester. Another 33% said they were unsure what the status of their college's opening would be, according to College Finance.
The survey also indicated 29% did not expect their schools to be open and 17% said they plan to enroll in online classes even if their colleges are open. According to College Finance that conducted the survey, 1 in 3 would prefer to wait for a coronavirus vaccine to become available before making a decision to enroll at all.
Other results showed 30% feel anxious and stressed about the upcoming semester and 56% admitted they were moderately or slightly stressed about the future of education. The students said, while online learning was O.K. for the short-term, they found it distracting, isolating and missed enjoying the interactive experience of live classes.
A whopping 78% admitted they are not getting the same quality of education from online classes they would have experienced if the spring semester had not been interrupted. And more than half of the students said they do not have the motivation to complete online classes.
According to The Conversation, the schools themselves will suffer the consequences of online classes, even if they are partially online this fall. California State University system decided to conduct all of its classes online this coming fall along with several other universities to avoid the health risks associated with COVID-19. But experts say going online will increase the financial risk to universities. College students will not want to pay full tuition for online classes, experts told The Conversation, reducing the revenues for colleges and universities.
Opening campuses would also be costly. For example, testing the student body at Cal State University would cost $25 million weekly, said Chancellor Timothy White.
"At the moment, financially, testing everyone is not in the cards," he said, according to The Conversation.